Simeon Ben Lakish

(known in the Babylonian Talmud as Resh Lakish; c.200-c.275 CE). Palestinian amora of the second generation. In his youth, for lack of other employment, Resh Lakish became a Roman gladiator, his phenomenal strength inspiring many legends. Befriended by Johanan Ben Nappaḥa, he studied under him in Sepphoris, married Johanan's sister, and gained fame as one of the leading sages in Erets Israel. A skillful debater, Resh Lakish often challenged his brother-in-law's halakhic rulings and his view was generally adopted in the end. For Simeon ben Lakish, Torah study was man's chief obligation and the education of schoolchildren had the highest priority (Shab. 119b). When R. Johanan founded an academy in Tiberias, Simeon joined him there. Widely respected for his selflessness and exemplary character, Resh Lakish was mortally offended when his brother-in-law made a tactless reference to his gladiatorial past. After Simeon's death, R. Johanan was inconsolable, crying "Where are you, Bar Lakish?" until he too expired (BM. 84a).

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